TSMC is bullish on transition to 12-inch fabsNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentDespite an industry downturn, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) is pushing forward aggressively with its 12-inch transition program and has laid out a blueprint for six new 12-inch wafer fabs in Taiwan.

ARC adds licensees, reveals platform plansNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentWhile announcing its year-end results and a trio of big-name licensees for its configurable processor architecture, ARC International plc said it will also begin to offer application-specific platforms that utilize its intellectual property.

Intel aims 700-MHz mobile MPU at mini-notebook marketNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentIntel Corp. rolled out a new flavor of its mobile Pentium III line, a 700-MHz part aimed at mini notebooks, while divulging a glimpse of its mobile processor roadmap at the Intel Developers Forum this week (Feb. 26-Mar. 1) in San Jose, Calif.

Lucent venture group pursues idling in-house ideasNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentLucent Technologies has added a new twist to the standard model of running an in-house venture capital fund. While many major high-tech companies have business units that exist solely to invest capital in, and secure equity stakes from, promising startups, Lucent's New Ventures Group goes an extra step.

Lam's Q1 sales to decline 15%, implements cost-cutting measuresNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentFREMONT, Calif. -- Lam Research Corp. here today (Feb. 28) announced that it would reduce its projections for the current quarter, prompting it to implement some cost-cutting measures to reduce costs.
The slowdown in the semiconductor-equipment business has prompted Fremont, Calif.-based Lam to cut executive salaries by about 10% and implement five mandatory shut down days per quarter.

Qualcomm snares major W-CDMA chip design win at SamsungNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentSAN DIEGO -- In a major coup for its chip business, Qualcomm Inc. here today (Feb. 28) announced a major design win in the wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA) arena with Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Under the terms, the Korean company will use Qualcomm's MSM5200 chip set in its W-CDMA-enabled cellular phones, said K.T. Lee, chief executive and executive vice president of Samsung Electronics.

Anadigm gets £10m in second-round fundingNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentAnadigm, the field-programmable analogue array (FPAA) designer, has secured £10m in second round funding. The company says the round will sustain it for the next couple of years, at which point it expects to be profitable.

Freefall leads to purer GaAs for wafersNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentGallium arsenide (GaAs) crystals grown in space are purer than those grown on Earth, according to research published by the Chinese Academy of Science and the Hebei Semiconductor Research Institute.

Elantec expects revenues to drop 20-25%News & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentAnalog chip maker Elantec Semiconductor, Inc., Milpitas, Calif., today said that sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2001 will be below previous expectations as a result of continued economic slowdown and weakening demand, particularly in the PC industry.

Consortium seeks help to boost power output in EUV toolsNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentSANTA CLARA, Calif. -- While a consortium has developed the world's first exposure tool based on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology, the organization is now looking for ways to boost the critical power output in the system.
The Extreme Ultraviolet LLC consortium yesterday announced the development of an alpha EUV-based tool, but also noted that the system only runs at 10 watts of power (see Feb. 28 story ).

Hong Kong's Asat reports flat results, cuts expendituresNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentHONG KONG -- Hong Kong's Asat Holdings Ltd. here today (Feb. 28) reported sales of $84.4 million in the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, a 1% increase over $83.7 million in the like period a year ago.
On a sequential basis, sales for the IC-packaging and test house decreased to $84.4 million, compared with $104.1 million for the previous quarter. After-tax earnings were $10.7 million, compared with $4.4 million a year ago. The company hit its forecast by earning $0.08 per share during the period.

Microchip to close test facility, plans further cutsNews & Analysis 2/28/2001 Post a commentIn response to the worldwide economic slowdown, Microchip Technology Inc., Chandler, Ariz., announced today that it will close its Hong Kong testing facility, laying off 400 employees, reducing overall capacity, and cutting operating costs and capital spending.